Pumpkin Bars: Yummy Any Time of the Year

February 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment

pumpkin bars

This is another one of the terrific recipes from the forums at Mommysavers.com (Pumpkin Bars via Mommy2Mercedes).  I made it last week and it was delicious.  I ate a whole row myself, and brought some to the neighbors.  However, at one point I forgot to cover the bars and my husband came home to find the bars that were remaining had no more frosting.  Our cats had licked it off!  (Gross, I know….  and such a terrible waste of good food!)

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Best-Ever Pumpkin Bars
 
This easy recipe is sure to please. Even our cats liked it!
Ingredients
  • BARS
  • 3 eggs
  • 1⅔ C. sugar
  • ¾ C. vegetable oil
  • 2 15-oz. cans pumpkin puree
  • 2 C. flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • FROSTING
  • 1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 C. butter, softened
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 4 C. powdered sugar

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Stir into pumpkin mix until thoroughly combined.
  2. Spread the batter into a greased jellyroll pan. Bake for 25 to 30 min. Cool before frosting.
  3. For the frosting, cream cream cheese and butter together. Stir in vanilla. Add powdered sugar a little at a time. Beat until smooth. Frost cooled bars.
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Classic Snickerdoodles Recipe

January 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment


classic-snickerdoodles-recipe

According to Wikipedia,  that the name “Snickerdoodles” is a corruption of the German word Schneckennudeln (“snail noodles”), which is a kind of pastry.  I grew up eating this very Classic Snickerdoodles recipe at my grandmother’s house in Iowa, who was of German heritage.   Her secret ingredient (lemon extract) made them just a little bit tangy as well as sweet.  I could never eat just one!

Frugal Tips:  Since Snickerdoodles are mainly flour and sugar based, they cost less than cookies with chocolate chips.

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Classic Snickerdoodles Recipe
 
Snickerdoodles are frugal and easy to make. The lemon is the secret ingredient!
Ingredients
  • 1½ C. sugar
  • 1 C. vegetable shortening or butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 2¾ C. flour
  • 2 tsp. cream of tartar
  • 1 tsp. soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 tsp. lemon extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar and shortening together. Add beaten eggs. Sift dry ingredients together and add to sugar mixture. Add vanilla and lemon extract. Chill dough in the refrigerator for one hour. Roll in 1″ balls. Dust in mixture of 2 Tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

 

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Toffee Club Crackers

December 21, 2012 by 4 Comments

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These Toffee Club Crackers were something I remember my Grandma making at Christmastime. I’m not sure I got the recipe quite right, but they were delicious (almost addictive!) nonetheless. There are many, many variations of these cracker cookies. I also have a recipe that uses graham crackers and pecans – also delicious. Really, the possibilities are endless.

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Toffee Club Crackers
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 40 pieces
 
Ingredients
  • ½ stick butter
  • ½ stick margarine
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup slivered almonds
  • Chocolate drizzle (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay out one sleeve of Club crackers on a baking sheet. Meanwhile, heat butter, margarine and sugar in a medium saucepan until bubbly. Pour over the Club crackers. Press slivered almonds onto the tops of the crackers. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Once cool, add a drizzle of chocolate (optional) made from melted chocolate chips or chocolate almond bark.

 

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Pecan Tassies: It Wouldn’t Be Christmas Without Them!

December 19, 2012 by 1 Comment

pecan tassies recipe

For our family, it wouldn’t be Christmas without these Pecan Tassies.  My grandmother made them and passed the recipe on down to my mom, and now I’m making them too.   Be warned:  it’s nearly impossible to eat just one!

Frugal Tips:  Don’t forget that you can store nuts in the freezer indefinitely.  It prevents the oils in them from becoming rancid and giving them a spoiled taste.  That said, you can save a lot by buying them in bulk and freezing what you can’t use right away.

Related Mommysavers Forum Conversation:  Fill in the blank:  It just wouldn’t be Christmas without _____________. 

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Pecan Tassies
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 24
 
It just wouldn’t be Christmas without these treats.
Ingredients
  • ⅓ C. cream cheese
  • ½ C. butter, softened
  • 1 C. flour
  • 1 egg
  • ¾ C. brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • ⅔ C. pecans
Instructions
  1. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, butter, and flour. Refrigerate dough for one hour.
  2. Remove from refrigerator and press into mini tart pans (yield: 24). Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium saucepan, heat egg, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and pecans until bubbly. Remove from heat and spoon into tarts. Bake for 25 minutes

 

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Smucker’s Double Chocolate Diamonds

December 12, 2012 by 2 Comments

double chocolate bars

Who knew that Smucker’s Ice Cream toppings could be used in such creative ways?   If you’ve got a jar of Smucker’s fudge, you can make these yummy Double Chocolate Diamonds.  The base of the bar is flour and peanut butter, but the topping is rich fudge doubled up with chocolate chips.  What’s not to like about that?  Next on my list of things to make is this Grilled Poundcake with Blueberry Sauce and Ricotta Cream.  Mmmmm!

Check out more Smucker’s Recipes HERE.  Plus, stay tuned for great giveaways we’re offering this week with Mommysavers as part of their Five Days of Holiday Giveaways Series.  One Frugal Bites/Mommysavers reader will win a $100 gift pack provided by Smucker’s!

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Smucker’s Double Chocolate Diamonds
 
Ingredients
  • No-Stick Cooking Spray
  • 1 cup Vegetable Shortening
  • ½ cup Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 1½ cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 (11.75 oz.) jar Smucker’s® Hot Fudge Topping
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
  1. HEAT oven to 350°F. Line bottom and sides of 15½ x 10½ x 1-inch jelly roll pan with foil. Coat with no-stick cooking spray.
  2. BEAT shortening, peanut butter and brown sugar in large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until creamy. Beat in eggs and almond extract until smooth. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix at low speed just until combined. Spread evenly in prepared pan.
  3. BAKE 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack while preparing chocolate layer.
  4. PLACE chocolate chips in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute. Stir. Microwave in 15 second intervals until melted and smooth. Stir in hot fudge topping. Microwave on HIGH 15 seconds. Spread over warm baked bars. Sprinkle with walnuts. Chill 1 hour or until chocolate layer is firm.
  5. LIFT bars from pan with foil and place on cutting board. Cut into diamonds by cutting on the diagonal from corner to corner both directions forming a large “X”. Beginning at one center cut, make 1½-inch parallel diagonal cuts on both sides. Repeat with other center cut to form diamonds. Store in refrigerator.

 

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